Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass

Charles Lutwidge Dodson, a professor of mathematics at Magdalen (Maudlin) College, Oxford, originally wrote these charming children's stories for young Alice, the daughter of his friend, Henry George Liddell, the dean of Christ Church. After publication, these children's books rapidly became popular with adults because of the extraordinary mixture of rationalism and fantasy, irony, and absurdity viewed through the looking glass of a child's dreams.

The Story of Aaron Burr

Lyndon Orr published his story of Aaron Burr in 1912 within his Famous Affinities of History. Here he briefly and simply compares Burr's life with Alexander Hamilton's and attempts to dispel some of the negative opinions that surrounded him as the "villain" who shot and killed one of the Founding Fathers of the USA in a duel. Orr also describes Burr's strong relationships and the mysteries surrounding the women in his life, particularly his daughter.

As a Man Thinketh

Considered the pioneer of modern inspirational thought and motivation, James Allen (1864 - 1912) published As a Man Thinketh in 1903. This is a powerful little self-help treatise, which essentially discusses how, by adjusting the way we think in response to external circumstances, we can shape our lives, personally, professionally, physically, and psychologically, towards the ultimate goal of inner peace and serenity.

A Little Princess

Published in 1905 by Frances Hodgson Burnett - author of the beloved The Secret Garden - this is the story of Sara Crewe, the adored and pampered daughter of a wealthy widowed father. Sara suffers great losses but taps in to her "inner princess", and with strength, imagination, and storytelling, she triumphs over her sad circumstances while at the same time inspiring her fellow school companions.

The Yellow Wallpaper: A Story

One of the earliest creative approaches to feminist literature, this sinister horror story tells of a woman's mental anguish and unconscious struggle with conformity in a society that generally viewed women as weak and hysterical creatures unable to think for themselves. The author, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935), a prominent American feminist, paved the way for other authors like Sylvia Plath and Alice Walker. She suffered mental illness during her life and ultimately committed suicide.

Three Weeks

Elinor Glyn was famous as the notorious author of several sexy Hollywood movies and novels, e.g., It, in which she described "it" as the strange magnetism that attracts both sexes. Three Weeks became her most popular novel, described as erotic, romantic, and risqué. Glyn's work in movies, novels, and articles in Cosmopolitan is considered to be influential in changes in social attitudes toward women, sex, and sexuality.

Queens Walk in the Dusk

Thomas Burnett Swann was a brilliant fantasy writer who died in 1976. He wrote primarily about the ancient Greek and Roman world, blending myth with romance and adventure. A reviewer in the Village Voice sums his work up well: "Swann's neo-romantic fantasies of the past are unique. He uses the stuff of myth but with twists and inventions of his own."

Queens Walk in the Dusk is a retelling of the romance of Dido and Aeneas. It is a companion volume to Green Phoenix.

The Tale of Pigling Bland

The Tale of Pigling Bland - written by Beatrix Potter describing the adventures of the pig of the title and how his life changes upon meeting a soul mate, in much the same way that Potter's life was changing at the time the book was published.